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Change Your Password If You Use GotoMyPC

If you use Citrix’s “GotoMyPC” remote desktop service, you’re going to have to change your password the next time you log on. The company was hit with what it describes as a “very sophisticated attack,” and it’s not taking any chances. Because they’re not sure how many user accounts may have been compromised, they’re forcing password resets across the board, for all users.

GotoMyPC is the latest victim of a successful hack in a record-setting year of such breaches. Different companies have, of course, responded differently in the aftermath of such attacks, but Citrix’s solution certainly seems to be the most practical of the responses we’ve seen so far this year. Yes, it will mean a few minutes of inconvenience for their extensive user base, but better that than to risk giving a hacker unfettered access to your desktop.

If you use the service, when you change your password, be sure to select a good, secure, robust one. Preferably at least eight characters long, using both alpha and numeric characters, and tossing in one or more special characters besides that. You’ll also want to be sure to use a password that’s completely different from any other account you log into, and in fact, now’s a good time stop using the same password across multiple accounts if you haven’t already.

True, it’s more convenient, because you’ve only got the one password to remember, but it comes with one giant, glaring flaw. If, for example, you use the same password to access GotoMyPC that you use to access your bank and credit card accounts with, then the hackers just got the master password to your whole life. A hack here could literally give the hackers the keys to your Kingdom, so to speak, and you could wake up one morning in the near future to find your accounts emptied and your identity stolen. It’s just not worth the risk.